12. 1987 Western Conference First Round: Big comeback over Utah Jazz
Entering the first round of the Western Conference NBA Playoffs, the Warriors were honestly just happy to be there. The franchise had undergone a decade of poor play and was ready to finally see their team reach the NBA Playoffs again.
When the Dubs drafted Chris Mullin in the 1986 NBA Draft, they could only have hoped that he would turn into the player he quickly did. By his second season, Mullin was one of the team’s leading scorers and a bright young star in the league.
The Warriors won 42 games and were pinned up against the Utah Jazz in the first round. Despite being five seeds higher than the Dubs, the Jazz had only won two more games. Led by a very young Karl Malone and John Stockton, this team was still nothing to be messed with.
After the Jazz won the first two games of the series, many believed this one was over. Remember, the NBA only had a best-of-five first round during this era. So, the Warriors would have to do the unthinkable and win three straight games to win the series.
Of course, the Warriors pulled off the miraculous by doing just that. With a different leading scorer in all three final games, the Dubs managed to steal the series over the Jazz. The Warriors finished the first round with five different players averaging 10+ points and were led by Sleepy Floyd who put up averages of 20.2 points and 10 assists a night.